Belong
by AdventureFreak5
Summary: Left alone to die by his leader after a brutal punishment, Starscream is saved by two mechs in the most unlikely way: Optimus Prime and Jetfire bond with him. But now they're acting as if it hadn't happened and Starscream, stuck in the Autobot base has nobot to turn to in his pain. The kids also harbor a secret that they entrust to the Seeker. Can he learn to trust, too?
1. Bonds

Here's an interesting plot that I thought up. I do enjoy Armada Starscream. Enjoy. :)

* * *

Starscream was dying. He didn't want to, but he did not have much choice in the matter. Megatron had taken out his frustrations on the Seeker again, taking him to earth to rape him multiple times. Starscream, forced to offline his vocalizer because his liege did not like his high pitched shrieks when he was in pain, had taken the offense silently and as still as he could be with his port being taken brutally with no preparation. That was simply how it always was. White-hot, painful interfacing followed by an agonizing overload, then a very brief respite, repeat. That was the cycle, except this time Megatron had beaten him afterwards. Starscream had painfully dragged himself up, cleaned the area between his legs and repairing his port as well as he could before covering his sensitive, if mutilated, equipment. It did not matter anyways; if he did survive he would just be taken again eventually. If he survived.

It did not matter if he tried to clean the energon-water mix that was his blood. His port had stopped bleeding, but the rest of him hadn't. He was just welcoming the sweet embrace of systems shutdown when his wings, battered as they were, felt the air shift. There was the sound of somebody landing and then the sound of transformation. Starscream barely managed to online his optics and found himself looking balefully up at two mechs he really did not want to see: Optimus Prime and Jetfire. The two mechs were saying something, but the Seeker could not hear them. His audio receptors had been damaged then. He didn't have the energy to try and tell them that. They were gesturing at him, but he could not even read their lips, or their expressions for that matter, because of those facemasks. Jetfire's movements suddenly became agitated then stopped altogether as the pair looked down at Starscream. The Seeker wished they would not stare like that. It made him feel ugly and horrid and stupid, just like Megatron's gazes always did, except worse because they were brilliant, gallant, and wonderful Autobots and he was a pathetic excuse for a Decepticon.

Optimus and Jetfire looked at each other and Jetfire lowered his head and slowly nodded. Good. That meant his death would be faster, Starscream thought. He was completely unprepared for them to get on their knees, baring their sparks. Starscream immediately became terrified. They weren't going to…They couldn't! They would see everything. The beatings, the rapes, the memories, and worse, how _weak_ he was! No, no, no, no, no! Starscream shifted weakly, but could not move very much. Both mechs paused and looked at each other again, something strange in their optics. Jetfire and Optimus then both reached one hand down and coaxed Starscream's chestplates apart, baring his own spark. The two mechs shuttered their optics, no doubt in surprise at the silver color, then slowly lowered their sparks so that the energies tangled with each other, testing, teasing, but went no deeper than that for a while. Soon they did start to sink lower. As soon as a merge was formed, Starscream made his thoughts known.

_~Get out! Get out! Get out!~ _he wailed, his optics flashing in anger.

_~Calm down Starscream.~ _Jetfire said through the link as they deepened the bond. _~We're trying to save your life!~_

_ ~No! Just let me die!~ _Starscream snapped, terrified out of his mind that they would find out anything, everything.

_~Easy Starscream.~ _Optimus said gently, physically caressing the Seeker's flushed face. _~We're just going to do a light bond. Just enough to keep you stable until Red Alert gets here. He's almost here.~_

Starscream lay there and shuddered, mentally and physically as those pure, wonderful, hot, sweet, nourishing sparks merged with his own starving one. He forced himself not to think. If he did, he would show them all the things he did not want them to see. He lay there trembling until the sparks suddenly started pulling away. Starscream knew that he wailed and was humiliated by it. He didn't want those lovely sparks to leave, not really. He wanted somebody to love him, and those two sparks radiated love. Not for him, no, but for each other. For the Autobots. For the humans. For _life_. Just the way he wished he could. He had used to, but not anymore. Megatron had beaten, raped, and vocally abused the love and trust right out of him.

His spark betrayed him as well as his voice as it tried to follow the two out. When it fell back into Starscream's chest, cold and alone again, Starscream just could not stay conscious as more agony filled him. This time though, it was emotional; he no longer got emotional about the physical and sexual abuse he went through, just suffered through it numbly. But this…tasting such sweet love and acceptance, even if it wasn't for him, then having it taken away...It cause the most bitter loneliness he had ever felt and the Seeker was glad when something was injected into his arm that helped to carry him away into blissful recharge.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Starscream awoke to find himself staring at a ceiling. A clean ceiling. A ceiling that did not even remotely look like it belonged in the moon base. His spark suddenly pulsed, feeling so alone, so very alone…And then he felt it. Two distinct beings hovering just out of his mental view, though they were completely blocked to him. But he remembered the spark bond and just where he was suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. He shot up and felt something tug on his arm. Looking down, he saw medical tubes sticking out, carrying blood and other materials. He began to panic and reached down to tug them out. He was stopped by tremendously strong hands and pinned to the berth. He started screeching, trying to get out of the grip, but suddenly one of those beings opened his side of the link and calm flowed into him in waves. He was left limp, confused, and panting from his efforts to get away. Optimus Prime stood above him, and he was the one who had opened the weak bond to calm him. Now that he was calm, Starscream felt Optimus withdraw again, blocking himself off. That hurt, but there was nobody but the Seeker to feel it.

"I think he shattered my audios," Jetfire's smooth voice came in.

"Can you hear us, Starscream?" another voice asked.

The Seeker turned to look for the source of the voice and found Red Alert. He stared for a moment, still swept away on the calm high that Optimus had induced in him, then nodded slowly.

"Yes…I can hear you," Starscream said quietly.

Red Alert nodded. "Good. Your audios were damaged pretty badly and I wasn't sure if they were fully repaired. Does anything hurt."

_'My port,' _Starscream thought with relief; that meant that Red Alert hadn't given him a full look over. "No," he replied out loud. "Not really. Just a few twinges here and there."

Red Alert nodded, but didn't smile. "Good. But you are still confined to bed rest for a few days. Doctors orders."

Starscream wanted to complain, wanted to scream that he wanted to fly, wanted to tear out of the medbay and go back to…back to what? To verbal abuse? To being beaten so badly that he was inches from death. To having his port torn apart by Megatron's horridly thick spike? Those thoughts were so depressing that he just shrugged and listlessly stared at the ceiling as he replied.

"Fine."

That seemed to alarm them, Starscream thought as Red Alert physically started and (presumably) stared at him in alarm. Optimus peered down at him with those sharp, knowing, spark-piercing optics and Jetfire sidled into view, looking at him strangely with his own golden optics. They stared, but they didn't ask. Soon after that, Starscream found himself alone in the medbay. He stared blankly at the ceiling. He was alone as ever…no, he was more alone than he had ever felt. With two consciousnesses so close to him and yet so closed off, so far away…

He sighed and decided for more recharge. He didn't have to think or feel in recharge most of the time, so he enjoyed that activity more than almost anything. Offlining his optics, he sighed and forced his body to relax. It didn't matter that he was in his enemies' base. He wasn't with Megatron, so he felt a little safer than he did in the Decepticon base. But only a little.


	2. Secrets

Here's the next chapter. Suggestions are welcome, and might be added to the plot.

Also, if you guys have any suggestions for a story, slash or not, I will consider them. I do G1, Prime up to the end of season 2, Animated, Unicron trilogy, and RiD.

* * *

Starscream was miserable. He had been discharged from the medbay only to be forced into a room deep in the base with no free moving fresh air. He was a Seeker and needed to fly! But Megatron had kept him grounded for much longer than this. He was used to pushing down his most basic needs to please his commander, though it never did please the cruel mech. He sat on the berth and stared at the bare walls, wishing he could paint them. He had been a mech of all creative trades before the war. He had been a singer, a sky dancer, a painter, a sculptor, a composer, an author, and he had even worked as the creative part of a scientific crew with the only mech he had ever truly called friend.

He missed those days, even though he had barely been scraping by. He loved the freedom those things gave to him, but, of course, Megatron had forced him to give them up. He didn't know if he could do any of those things anymore. Oh but he wished he were allowed to. Megatron had pointed out that they were one of his many, many weaknesses. And he wasn't weak. He couldn't be weak. Especially in front of the soft-sparked Autobots. Tears filled his orange optics and he quickly shut off his vocalizer as misery overwhelmed him. He couldn't show any weakness, none at all…none. He awoke to a knock on the door. Starscream sat up quickly, made himself decent at breakneck speed, and went over to open the door, looking out with fake arrogance in his optics. It was Jetfire.

"What do you want, Autobot?" Starscream asked haughtily.

"Optimus wants you in the control room. Don't step on the kids," Jetfire said hurriedly then turned, expecting to be followed without question.

Starscream held back a sharp retort and followed. Retorts weren't part of the old him. Retorts had been taught to him by the harsh Decepticon life. He kept his face arrogant, a mask to hide his greatest weakness: his true feelings. Those were used against a mech in the Decepticon ranks all the time, so hiding them was a must. As soon as the Seeker got in the room, the talking stopped and he knew that he had been the topic of conversation. He didn't care. Much.

"Ah, good, you're here," Optimus said, his voice caressing Starscream's audios.

The flier repressed a shiver. He had always found the Autobot leader very attractive, and the fact that they were now bonded made it all the more painful to bear the attraction. Jetfire was just as desirable, maybe more so because he was a flier, too. Of course, Jetfire and Optimus had kept their links closed tightly. Starscream had found out that the two of them had been bonded for many, many years, so they were probably always open to each other. But not to him. Nobody was ever open for him. Closed, cold, distant, angry, abusive, and taunting, but never open, honest, caring, loving….All the things those mechs were. Depression settled heavily on Starscream, but of course he showed none of the feelings or thoughts at all. He simply stared at Optimus with a 'like I had a choice' look and crossed his arms. Optimus did not seem bothered at all.

"What do you want?" Starscream said in a bored tone of voice, masking his insecurity and fear.

He could feel the glares on him at his rudeness, but he let them roll off of him, only feeling a little hurt, ashamed, embarrassed….

"Chill dude," an accented voice said and Starscream looked down to see the three humans and their Mini-cons staring up at him.

Despite his best efforts, the Seeker felt his face morph into confusion. "I don't see what temperature has to do with anything," he said slowly.

Laughter met his words and Starscream felt his face go blank as hurt washed through him. The kids had only smiled softly, used to confusion from the Autobots about their Earth culture, and they were the only ones besides Optimus and Jetfire to notice Starscream's very abrupt change. Alexis stepped forward and explained over the continued laughter.

"It means to relax. It's slang," she said, her voice loud enough to be heard, but gentle and understanding.

That understanding, more than anything, made Starscream immediately like this girl, this human. And the lack of laughter on the two other humans' parts…He liked them, too. And with his practiced optic, he spotted something glinting as Alexis stared up at him with a smile. He decided to be subtle and scratched his neck. Horror filled the humans' faces and they quickly turned away.

"Aw, don't be afraid of Starscream, kids," Hot Shot said with a smirk. "He won't dare hurt any of you."

To Starscream's immense surprise, the kids played up the scared roll, skittering behind the Autobots. The Seeker watched them as they worked to cover up Alexis' neck, unbeknownst to all the Autobots. _I wonder what that was about._ Starscream thought as he moved his optics to Optimus Prime again. The rest of the time was rules. Evidently, Red Alert had planted something in Starscream to alert them if he tried to leave the base, so flying was out. He was trapped. Was this really better than Megatron?

He was sent back to his room, but to his surprise, the kids caught up with him in the hall. They smiled at him and made small talk as they ran to keep up with him. When he paused to listen, they gestured him closer. Starscream arched an optic ridge, but knelt down as they started talking low.

"You won't tell anybody?" Alexis asked softly.

"About the metal?" Starscream replied in a low voice. "I see no reason why I should. You won't hurt me and I don't feel like blackmailing you, so…."

"Thank you."

"Will I get an explanation?"

"Maybe later."

Starscream nodded, not really expecting to ever get one. So it was shocking to him when he was given one. He was sitting on the floor in the kids' room of the ship, watching some movie about humans that lived underwater that were part fish…It was odd and lovely and strange and the _music_…the music was wonderful and sparked his imagination for the first time in ages. He was enraptured. The rest of the Autobots were busy with their jobs, and the only two that had come to check on them had been Optimus and Jetfire, but Starscream had been absorbed in the movie and hadn't even noticed them, or the fact that he was actually letting his guard down and enjoying the movie openly. The two mechs had glanced at each other and had a silent conversation via their bond before leaving again. When the movie ended, Starscream finally moved, but only at Alexis' quiet admittance.

"We're bonded to our Mini-cons."

Starscream shuttered his optics, shook his head, and looked down at the three children. "You…How? Why?"

"It was an accident," Alexis said quickly, her eyes darting to the door. "We did not know what we were doing. We were just waxing them when they bared their sparks and we were so curious. We…touched them and something changed inside us."

"Yeah, we have your kind of hearts now…sparks, I believe you call them. And we are stronger, faster than we were before," Rad continued for her.

"Man we're turning into metal!" Carlos whined, his voice as quiet as the others. "It's scary and embarrassing and creepy and I want it to stop!"

"And you haven't told the Autobots?" Starscream asked, tilting his head to the side.

"No," all three of them whispered.

"We don't know what they'll think!" Alexis hissed. "Besides, the metal has already spread to embarrassing places! It's getting hard to look human!"

"Yeah, mech," Carlos sighed. "We've had to use makeup and clothes to hide everything. We're just glad the Autobots haven't questioned our recent fashion choices."

"Why are you telling me this?" Starscream asked slowly, glancing at the doorway.

"Because we feel that you're the only one who won't judge us like the Autobots will," Rad said seriously. "Our Mini-cons are hiding it from the other Mini-cons, too. They're as embarrassed as we are and keep blaming themselves for this."

Starscream sat back and nodded. "I shall keep your secret. And help you out if I can. But we have to be careful. They're always watching me."

"Thank you, Starscream," Alexis said solemnly.

So from then on, he would go in and watch movies with them, getting the Autobots to trust him with the children. He wanted desperately to see what the children were going through physically, emotionally, and mentally, but they refused to show him anything in their room, which was monitored, so he hatched a plan and had the Mini-cons get to work on it, as it required leaving the base and blueprints of the base. The plan was simple: dig a new tunnel, too small for Autobots, which led into the metal on Starscream's room, where a door would be made. The door would be in the corner of the room shielded by the berth, and would open out into the tunnel so that they could slip through any time. One thing Starscream enjoyed was that, even when angry, the Autobots always knocked. Oh how he loved their politeness. And the fact that they liked to leave him alone in his room for long, long stretches of time.

When the tunnel was done, Starscream had the children test it out eagerly. It was far enough away from the main entrance to the base that was through the caves that the children and their Mini-cons could come and go whenever they wanted and not be watched or bothered or even known about. It was perfect. They planned the day, or rather afternoon, they would spend in Starscream's room, then played it up that they had to leave. The Autobots bid them goodbye and then the kids and their bondmates slid through the tunnel into Starscream's room. They hid under the berth until they heard somebody enter the room and they peaked out to make sure it was Starscream. They hurried out when they saw it was and the kids leaped up onto the berth without much effort, showing Starscream a little of what they could do.

"Ooh, I see that you can do some interesting things. Now where is this metal?"

The boys immediately took off their shirts and gleaming silver metal met Starscream's curious optics. He knelt down and reached over to stroke it with his finger, making Rad squirm and giggle. He turned to do the same to Carlos then turned to look at Alexis. She was looking embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"And you, little sweetling?" Starscream asked.

"Um, I can't really do that…"

"Is your…clothing different then?"

"No…It's just…I'm a girl."

"So?"

"So?!" Alexis snapped, clearly embarrassed. "I have breasts. I'm generally discouraged to just take off my shirt in front of a bunch of boys!"

"Oh. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Starscream said softly. Alexis shrugged and looked away, blushing. "I take it humans are shy about interfacing?"

"I don't know. What's interfacing?" Alexis asked as Rad and Carlos went and stood next to her.

"I don't know what you call it…" Starscream said. "It's where two or more mechs come together and get intimate," he finally said after a pause, gesturing at his codpiece.

"O-oh!" Alexis gasped and the boys gave nervous laughs. "Y-you mean sex?!"

"I take that as a yes," Starscream said with a nod.

"Well, yeah!" Carlos snapped, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, allow me to let you in on a secret the Autobots have evidently been keeping from you. Cybertronians, in general, are not too secretive about interfacing, or their bodies."

"So?" Alexis asked.

"You're bonded to a Mini-con. A Cybertronian. A bond is very special. It gives you a very intimate mental and emotional connection with another. However, there is a little side effect. It makes you want to be just as close physically. You will eventually interface, or have sex, with your Mini-con bondmate. All three of you will, actually."

They looked mortified and the boys crossed their arms, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in front of their closest friends. The Mini-cons beeped beautifully to them, each stroking his own bondmate to comfort him or her. The kids instinctively leaned into the touches then immediately looked embarrassed as they realized what they'd done. They also realized that Starscream was telling the truth.

"Why are you telling us this?"

"To forewarn you. And to tell you that you needn't be embarrassed about baring yourselves to your bondmates. Or me. And probably not to each other."

Carlos and Rad put their heads together and started talking in quick, low voices. They pulled apart and Rad approached Alexis.

"You know something? He makes sense. But," Rad said loudly as Alexis blushed and started to protest. "We don't have to do it all at once. We can do it slowly. You don't have to take everything off your top half, but your shirt wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

"Yeah! Just pretend you're in a bathing suit!" Carlos suddenly exclaimed.

Alexis stood still for a few moments then, with her face flaming, she slowly took off her shirt, revealing a plain white bra and an expanse of smooth metal. Starscream smiled approvingly and rubbed her head, making some of her hair stand on end. She laughed nervously and swatted his finger. She turned when Sureshock whistled.

_::You are quite beautiful, Alexis::_ he said with a nod, making her blush again.

"Th-thank you."

Starscream smiled and knelt down to observe them better. He watched as they showed off their increased agility, speed, flexibility, and strength. They were panting when they were done, but obviously pleased by Starscream's attention and relieved to finally tell somebody who might understand. And he did to a degree. Intense reformatting had made him the mech he was today. It had been horrible and painful and embarrassingly invasive.

"Are you alright, Starscream?" Carlos suddenly asked.

The mech started and stood, avoiding looking at the six small ones on his berth. "Yes. Just…thinking."

"About?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," he said lamely and at their sharp looks he sighed. "Just my time with the Decepticons. I would rather not talk about it."

"Will you ever?" Alexis asked.

Starscream smiled and his optics glinted in amusement. "Maybe later.


	3. The Children

Third Chapter. :)

* * *

Starscream soon became obsessed with helping the children with their bonds, mainly to keep his focus off his own strange bond with Optimus and Jetfire. They still kept their sides of the bond closed, yet it didn't do much for his own changing spark. Bonds changed a mech. Not physically, but the composition of the spark changed when _one_ other spark came in contact with it, not to mention _two_. His spark was slowly changing, though it was unnatural. Bonded mechs tended to bond again and again in the beginning of their bonded life, making the changing spark change faster. Starscream would wake up in the middle of the night to feel his spark pounding and he could _feel_ it changing. It hurt, but he didn't tell anybody, not even the kids.

Several weeks had passed and the kids were now used to being naked in front of him, even Alexis. He had known they were getting closer to their bondmates, and he knew they were starting to desire them physically. He had known the Mini-cons would come to him and ask to use his room for their first night. As soon as they did, Starscream said yes. He carefully arranged a blanket into three nest-like impressions, enough that they wouldn't be able to see each other. He could do nothing about them hearing each other, but they would quickly forget that in the haze of pleasure they would feel. Starscream envied them for that. His own equipment, spike and valve, were so mutilated that he could not feel pleasure. Megatron had done it to make sure his little whore had no reason to think he was special. And the sad thing was that Starscream had been a blushing virgin when Megatron had gotten a hold of him. So he had never felt the pleasure of interface. And he never would. He knew that because he didn't want to go to a medic with his humiliating secret. He had gone to one who had promptly vomited when he had seen how much damage had been dealt to such a sensitive area. He had also refused to help.

There was a soft sound and Starscream looked down to see the kids peering out from under the berth. He smiled and knelt down. They came out shyly, the intentions of the evening obviously known to them. The Mini-cons were also acting a little shy as they sidled out and stared up at the larger mech. Starscream lifted them each up to the berth, setting them in their respective nest. He then backed up to the wall and sat, drawing his knees up to his chest. The younglings kept glancing at him as they disrobed, acting particularly embarrassed and hesitant. Starscream smiled softly as the Mini-cons began showing their love for their bondmates.

The kids had changed substantially. In fact, Starscream had had to paint them the correct colors using a modified holoform generator that allowed him to interact with the physical world. Their eyes…er, optics had been trickier. He had finally made them synthetic 'contacts' that covered the spreading colors of their irises. He was pleased, as were they. They looked as normal as ever, though they were anything but. Starscream had also made them clothes out of a strange metal that conformed to their bodies. The metal clothing was hidden under their normal clothing, and they acted like it wasn't there. He had made it mainly to protect them should anything go wrong. It might have been flexible metal, but it was very strong and sturdy and could take quite a bit of punishment. It was one of the last things Cybertronian scientists had discovered before the war had taken over everybody's minds. Starscream had some because he had been the one to discover the key to making it along with his colleague Skyfire. He didn't mind using some for the kids. They seemed to like the clothing, and thanked him over and over for it. He had specially painted each piece of their clothing different colors and patterns. They were also different for each youngling, so that they felt individual, despite their similarities.

A groan pulled him out of his thoughts and he smiled as Carlos was being entered by Grindor. He wondered what it felt like, deciding that it must be good if he was arching like that. Starscream looked down at his hands and sighed. If only…But no. Not unless he was graced with a medic kind enough and with the proper metals and materials to construct new interface equipment. That was a long shot. He knew that. Tears burned his optics, but he looked down so as not to worry the kids, though they were quite busy and distracted enough that they wouldn't have noticed. The Seeker quickly wiped his face and decided to give them a little more privacy. He didn't dare leave the room lest somebody come in and spot them, but he did relax into a light recharge. He awoke when there was a soft cry and he awoke to see Alexis shyly relaxing and staring at him. Rad and Carlos were still shivering and shuddering with their Mini-cons, but the girl…she was just staring.

Starscream smiled weakly at her and gestured for her to go to sleep. She continued to stare. He shifted and finally avoided her gaze. She frowned at him. Something was wrong and she knew it, but she didn't say anything until the other two couples had finished and silence had reigned for a while. She finally spoke up though.

"What's the matter?"

Starscream jumped at the noise; it seemed so loud when everything had been so silent. "Nothing," he said as soon as he had processed the question.

"Don't lie Starscream," she said, her voice low and caring.

Starscream didn't want to lie to them. They were so kind and loving, and they _listened_ to him. So he sighed, looked up, and began to tell them of his time with the Decepticons. He told them everything: the beatings, the humiliation, and even the rapes. When he was done, they looked horrified and wide awake. Starscream was crying but found that he didn't mind. Not in front of these children. He…trusted them. The Seeker wiped his face and stood shakily. He knew they were staring at his codpiece. He knew they wanted to see, to know. He bit his bottom lip and offlined his optics as he showed them just how damaged he was. The Mini-cons did the Cybertronian equivalent of gagging, holding back from throwing up so as to not upset Starscream. The kids just stared. Alexis was the first to look away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"How could he?"

"He's Megatron. He can do whatever he wants," Starscream said bitterly as he reattached his codpiece.

"So he does it to the others, too?" Rad demanded.

Starscream laughed, a grating sound. "No, of course not. He's much too picky for that." The kids stared at him blankly. "He's got an almost insatiable appetite, but he wants mechs that are good looking. I'm unlucky to have caught his optics. I don't feel good looking anymore though. But I know what lies inside my spark, and it's no longer pure and pretty, like theirs," he said without thinking.

"Like whose?" Rad queried.

Starscream, realizing what he said, shook his head. "Just thinking out loud."

"Starscream."

That one word had him sighing and spilling what had happened with Optimus and Jetfire. The kids were obviously confounded by that, but not for the same reasons Starscream was. They were baffled on why he hadn't told them that he was bonded. Starscream was immediately uncomfortable. He shifted and tried to dismiss the question with a wave of his hand, but the children were having none of that.

"C'mon Starscream. Spill!" Carlos exclaimed, his optics serious.

Starscream blushed and shifted. "Well," he said slowly. "It's just…nothing's happening between us, that's all. They're acting like it never happened, blocking me off from their side of the bond. Besides, it's just a light bond. Not like we learned anything of each other in it. You initiated a full bond with your Mini-cons, so yours is different than mine."

"But that's not right!" Alexis exclaimed. "You should talk to them about it."

Starscream shook his head. "Yeah right. Why would they listen to me? Besides, I'm used to being all alone."

Alexis bristled at that. "You shouldn't be! You're kind and sweet and sensitive and I don't think that you realize how much you need them!"

"Shut up!" Starscream snapped then winced as the kids drew back, surprised and hurt. "I'm sorry," he immediately apologized. "I just...don't want to talk about this right now."

They stared at him for a few minutes then settled down to sleep. Starscream followed suit.


	4. Caught

Here's the next chapter. :)

* * *

Starscream sat in the room, silently watching another movie. The kids had gone with the Autobots on a mission, but had put in another movie for him. This one was about some lions. He was absolutely fascinated by the creativity of the humans, so one day he'd pulled a blank datapad out of his subspace and had started writing a story. He'd been buried in it for days and at this point was taking a break. Just as the movie ended, he heard the warp gate and he stood and walked into the main room, waiting for the kids to come and run to him to tell him who'd been beaten and how. But the kids weren't the ones who came running. It was Hot Shot. He slammed into the Seeker as hard as he could, pinning him to the wall. Starscream gasped and managed to get his hands on the mech's chest, shoving him away and spinning away.

"What the frag is your problem?" Starscream demanded.

"_My_ problem? I'm not the one who's been helping our friends lie to us!" Hot Shot yelled.

"What?"

Starscream didn't realize what he was talking about at first. Then he remembered the children. As other Autobots filed into the room, he realized that the kids weren't with them. Megatron couldn't have...could he? No, he wouldn't want them unless he knew how powerful they were becoming. Since Starscream hadn't told anybody, nobody else knew. The Mini-cons were gone, too, so Starscream could only assume that an accident had happened on the battlefield and they had revealed themselves. A confused conversation must have taken place in which they admitted Starscream knowing about them before running off with their Mini-cons. After trying and failing to follow them, the Autobots returned to demand him to tell them what he knew. He considered that for a brief moment, but then decided that he couldn't betray them. They were his friends...and they knew a ton about him that could make his life uncomfortable around these mechs.

"What do you know?" Optimus asked, his voice careful and persuasive.

"Plenty," Starscream replied.

"Will you tell us?"

"Did they say I could?"

"No..."

"Then I won't. They are my friends and I won't betray them."

"They were our friends first!" Hot Shot snarled, looking as if he wanted to kill the Seeker.

"And this is precisely why they wouldn't tell you anything."

"Shut up, glitch headed whore!" Hot Shot screamed.

That one word made Starscream's world tunnel. "W-what?"

"That's what Megatron always calls you when he tells us to give you back," Hot Shot snapped, latching onto the opportunity. "Whore. Do you spread your legs for him Starscream? Do you enjoy being his little bitch?"

Starscream had two options. One, beat the arrogant little mech's face in. But it was option two that happened as a voice shrieked.

"Shut you damned mouth Hot Shot!"

Everybody turned to see Alexis and the boys. They were looking up at Starscream with such concern, such fear...Starscream burst into tears and spun around, tearing out of the room and heading for the exit. Something beeped on his left shoulder and the door started closing but he took off and shot out into the sky, jerking out the stupid tracker and dropping it as he flew away. He was so ashamed, so hurt. His reaction had betrayed that Hot Shot was right, and Starscream knew that. He could never face the Autobots again. They were just different than the Decepticons. He felt somebody trying to get through the bond, but he had learned his own shielding in the weeks since it had happened and he locked his spark up tight. He finally landed in a secluded forest, settling in the shade of the trees as he lost himself in his emotions.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Alexis had told them all off viciously before all three of them stormed out with their bondmates to look for the distraught mech. They found him miles away after a week of searching. They brought energon goodies in a bag and he ate them hungrily before settling back and staring miserably forward. The snacks hadn't been nearly enough energon for him. He was half starved, but absolutely refused to go to the Autobots. Just the thought made him tear up, but he shoved his tears away and finally got the nerve to look down at them.

"They know," he muttered, playing with his hands.

"Yes," Carlos said with a nod. "They know, dude. I'm sorry, but they do. We didn't tell them it was rape though."

"I don't know which would be worse," Starscream sighed.

"You should tell them you don't want to do it," Rad said gently. "You should tell them Megatron forces you to do it. It would help."

"They wouldn't believe me."

"Then show them."

Alexis' voice was firm and Starscream focused on her. She was so serious, but Starscream didn't know if he could handle that. To have them look at him with pity...No. He refused. He was just about to tell them that when he heard something that made him tense. His head jerked up and he spoke quickly.

"Get in the bushes. Now. And do _not_ come out. No matter that you hear, no matter what you see, you must stay hidden. Go."

His tone of voice was so strange that they obeyed immediately. Starscream brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around them as Megatron landed. The mech narrowed his optics at Starscream.

"Where, oh where are your new friends Starscream?" he asked.

"I left them," Starscream replied, tightening his arms. He knew what was coming.

"Well, why didn't you come back to the base?" Starscream didn't reply to that, keeping his optics down. "Answer me whore!" Megatron snapped and slapped him.

Starscream heard a beep, so soft that he thought he might have imagined it. He swallowed hard. He wanted to scream for the kids to run, but he couldn't without giving away that they were there. So he said nothing, offlining his vocalizer as Megatron suddenly lunged for him and caught his lips in a fierce kiss. He bit the Seeker's lips and forced him back against the trees, which groaned under his weight. He forced the tears back and felt himself descend into that numb place. His codpiece was ripped off and he offlined his optics as everything was suddenly focused on soon-to-be pain as something hot brushed his thighs. He heard frantic whispering but he didn't dare look at the place the kids were. He kept his optics offline as he felt the mech line up and...

Starscream opened his mouth in a silent, agonized scream as Megatron hit home. The mech above him grunted as he began moving. Starscream tried not to writhe too much as pain assaulted him. He couldn't help it though, and it simply gave Megatron more pleasure. Not soon enough the first round ended and Megatron was about to start round two when shouts suddenly sounded from the trees across from them. The mech snapped his codpiece on and left Starscream where he was, curled up with his hands over his bleeding equipment. Megatron focused his gun on the woods just as the Autobots came through. Starscream didn't move, bleeding through his fingers. He heard rustling and saw the kids peek through, tears staining their faces. He kept his optics on them, trying not to cry.

Megatron snickered at the Autobots, who had their weapons trained on him. "Hello Autobots."

"What did you do to him, Megatron?" Optimus demanded, staring intently at Starscream. Unbeknownst to the Seeker, agony was leaking through the bond, too strong to be held at bay by any of them.

"Simply taking what is mine," Megatron replied with a cocky grin.

"You hurt him," Jetfire hissed, gun trained on the brute.

"Is it my fault he doesn't lubricate fast enough? Besides, he is mine to do with as I please. Now, I believe I shall take my little whore away with me."

Alexis screamed, rage in the sound, and slammed full force into Megatron's side. Megatron hit the ground hard and was suddenly attacked by three very pissed off kids. They tore into him, wires tearing and sparking and metal screeching as they clawed at him. Confusion raged for about a minute then the kids were thrown off and Megatron lunged for Starscream, but Optimus' gun was suddenly right in his face.

"Back off," Optimus growled.

Megatron snarled and warped away, leaving everything silent for a brief moment. Then Alexis was in front of Starscream, placing her hands on his cheek and pressing her forehead there as she cried.

"How can that monster do that to you?" she screamed, her fists balling up.

Starscream tried to speak then realized his vocalizer was off. He switched it back on and winced as his voice came out hoarse and higher than normal.

"I told you before, he's Megatron. He can do whatever he wants."

"But _raping_ you?!" she shrieked.

"Whatever. He. Wants," Starscream ground out.

Hot Shot picked up Alexis and drew back, staring at Starscream strangely. Red Alert approached him slowly, handing Optimus his gun, and knelt down at Starscream's feet, placing a hand on his knee. Starscream violently shook his head before the medic even asked.

"No," he said firmly.

"I need to see it to see how much damage has been done."

"Too much," Starscream said bitterly. "Besides I don't want you guys to lose your energon."

"I highly doubt I'll do that. I'm a medic," Red Alert said gently.

"That's what the last medic said."

"Starscream," Jetfire said gently, caressing his face.

Starscream offlined his optics and allowed the mech to help him sit up against a tree. Red Alert was now sitting between his legs, but Starscream hadn't removed his hands. The medic placed a hand against his and gently pried them up. Immediately everybody wished he hadn't. There were a couple cries and everybody turned away quickly, but the image was burned into their minds. Red Alert was suddenly the only one not throwing up. He took several deep breaths, looking at Starscream's face. He swallowed hard, but managed to keep his energon down. He looked down again and began to work, his hand steady from years of practice, but his insides were quivering in rage and disgust. Not at Starscream, no, but at Megatron. How could somebody do this to a mech? Even to a Decepticon?

He finished the field work then gently put Starscream's codpiece back on. Every mech except Optimus was looking away. Optimus, once he had stopped throwing up, had come and held Starscream's hand, keeping his optics on Starscream's face. It was comforting to the Seeker, though he didn't show it other than squeezing the hand every time Red Alert caused a little pain. He stood shakily, Optimus and Red Alert helping him to stand. Once he was steady, they prepared to warp back to the base. The kids crowded around Starscream as the warp happened. Red Alert turned to Starscream when they got settled.

"I would like to examine you thoroughly to see how extensive the nerve damage is. Once that is done, I can start working on new equipment for you."

Starscream froze then looked slowly at the medic. "Y-you'd do that? For me? After everything I've done?"

"Yes," the medic replied and left it at that.


End file.
